What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
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JULY 18-24, 2021 WHAT'S UP! 3 FYI Chamber Music on the Mountain Summer Festival 2021 10:30 a.m. July 21 Fayetteville Public Library Event Center, 401 W. Moun- tain St., Fayetteville Be captivated by Native American legends about the moon at this kid-friendly event. Free event, but registration required at the Fayetteville Public Library events page. Chamber Music Under the Sky 7 p.m. July 22 The Momentary, 507 S.E. E St., Bentonville A free, family-friendly, outdoor classical music concert on the Momentary Green. Chamber Music on the Lawn 7:30 p.m. July 23 Mount Sequoyah Center, 150 Skyline Drive, Fayetteville A family-friendly, outdoor classical music concert on the Cottage Circle Lawn at Mount Sequoyah. $10-$15; purchase tickets from chambermusiconthe mountain.org/tickets. 7:30 p.m. July 24 Mount Sequoyah Center, 150 Skyline Drive, Fayetteville Come enjoy an evening of chamber music at the newly renovated Millar Lodge at Mount Sequoyah. $10-$15, purchase tickets from chambermusiconthe mountain.org/tickets. Spotlight Concert 1 p.m. July 25 Mount Sequoyah Center, 150 Skyline Drive, Fayetteville This Spotlight Concert offers performance oppor- tunities for the area's own talented musicians. Free event; registration not required, More Music In More Places LARA JO HIGHTOWER NWA Democrat-Gazette P ianist Tomoko Kashiwagi says chamber music is her passion — and she would love nothing more than to share that passion with as many people as possible. So she and violinist Miho Oda Sakon have found a way to do exactly that through a new organization called Chamber Music on the Mountain, through which the duo plan to "collaborate with great musicians and to bring artists of diverse interests together." Kashiwagi is the first recipient of the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in collaborative piano from the University of Texas at Austin, and she's performed in high-profile venues like Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Suntory Hall in Tokyo, Central Conservatory in Beijing and Guildhall School in London. These days, the University of Arkansas is lucky enough to count her as faculty as the assistant professor of piano and collaborative piano and holder of the Emily J. McAllister Endowed Chair. She answered these questions for What's Up! about the organization and the upcoming Summer Music Festival — the first official event — starting July 21. Your mission statement mentions that accessibility is one of your goals. Can you tell us why accessibility can be a challenge in the classical music world, and what your plans are to overcome those challenges? I feel that classical music, like many other traditional art forms, somehow got stereotyped as highbrowed, something you can only experience in specialized concert halls. To let more people be (re)acquainted with classical music, we are going to bring the concerts out into our community. Chamber music is perfect because there are many small ensemble combinations which can be flexible to fit into various venues. It was challenging to find good venues, quiet places with nice resonance and atmosphere that are comfortable for our audience and musicians. Outdoor venues are great, but it is difficult to play instruments, especially strings, in high humidity and amplifying the instruments without distorting the quality of the acoustic sound is very tricky. Mount Sequoyah Center is a perfect venue. It is a quaint, nonprofit community center overlooking downtown Fayetteville. Two concerts will be family-friendly outdoor concerts, and another two concerts will in the newly renovated Millar Lodge, both at very affordable ticket prices. We were fortunate to partner with Fayetteville Public Library, the Momentary and Crystal Bridges Museum for additional outreach concerts that are free so more people can come to enjoy our performances. Finding funding for concert series is a monumental task. We are thrilled to be awarded the Artistic Innovations grant from Mid-America Summer festival takes classical tunes to new listeners Pianist Tomoko Kashiwagi (left) and violinist Miho Oda Sakon have created Chamber Music on the Mountain, an organization that strives to make classical music more accessible to everyone in the Northwest Arkansas area. The duo's first official event, the Summer Festival 2021, kicks off this week. Festival events are scheduled from July 21 until July 31 and will be performed at a variety of venues around the region. (Photo by Ironside Photography/Stephen Ironside) Inspired Music 7 p.m. July 29 Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, 600 Museum Way, Bentonville An evening of dazzling cham- ber music at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art Great Hall. Free, but tickets must be reserved from the Crystal Bridges Museum website: crystalbridges.org. Chamber Music on the Lawn 7:30 p.m. July 30 Mount Sequoyah Center, 150 Skyline Drive, Fayetteville A family-friendly, outdoor chamber music concert on the Cottage Circle Lawn at Mount Sequoyah. $10-$15, purchase tickets from chambermusiconthemountain.org/ tickets. Final Concert 7:30 p.m. July 31 Mount Sequoyah Center, 150 Skyline Drive, Fayetteville The music on this program will stir your imaginations and emotions! Join in and "be in the moment" with the musicians as they perform an inspiring repertoire. $10-$15, purchase tickets from cham bermusiconthemountain.org/tickets. See Music Page 4 FAYETTEVILLE